The Mirabals were farmers in the Dominican Republic. Their daughters grew up in a middle-class, cultured environment. Their father's name was Enrique Mirabal Fernandez and their mother's name was Mercedes Reyes Camilo.[3] The four sisters married and raised families.

Influenced by her uncle, Minerva became involved in the political
movement against Trujillo, who had been the president of the country
from 1930 to 1938 and from 1942 to 1952, and afterwards, became its
dictator. Minerva studied law and became a lawyer, but because she
declined Trujillo's romantic advances in 1949,[4][5]
she was only allowed to earn a degree, but not have a license to
practice law.

Her sisters followed suit, first Maria Teresa, who joined
after staying with Minerva and learning about their activities, and then
Patria, who joined after witnessing a massacre by some of Trujillo's
men while on a religious retreat. Dedé joined later, due to having been
held back by her 8 Jaimito.
They eventually formed a group called the Movement of the Fourteenth of
June (named after the date of the massacre Patria witnessed), to oppose
the Trujillo regime. They distributed pamphlets about the many people
who Trujillo had killed, and obtained materials for guns and bombs to
use when they finally openly revolted. Within the group, the Mirabels
called themselves Las Mariposas (The Butterflies), after Minerva's underground name.

Two of the sisters, Minerva and Maria Teresa, were incarcerated and tortured
on several occasions. Three of the sisters' husbands (who were also
involved in the underground activities) were incarcerated at La Victoria
Penitentiary in Santo Domingo. Despite these setbacks, they persisted in fighting to end Trujillo's leadership. In 1960, the Organization of American States condemned Trujillo's actions and sent observers. Minerva and Maria Teresa were freed, but their husbands remained in prison.[4]

On their remembrance website, Learn to Question, the author writes, "No
matter how many times Trujillo jailed them, no matter how much of their
property and possessions he seized, Minerva, Patria and Maria Teresa
refused to give up on their mission to restore democracy and civil
liberties to the island nation."[4]

On November 25, 1960, three of the sisters, Patria, Minerva, and
Maria Teresa, and driver Rufino de la Cruz, were visiting Patria and
Minerva's incarcerated husbands. On the way home, they were stopped by
Trujillo's henchmen. The sisters and the driver were separated and were
clubbed to death. The bodies were then gathered and put in their Jeep
where it was run off the mountain road to look like an accident.[4]

After Trujillo was assassinated in May 1961, General Pupo Roman
admitted to have personal knowledge that the sisters were killed by two
men, Victor Alicinio and Peña Rivera, who were Trujillo's right hand
men. Ciriaco de la Rosa, Ramon Emilio Rojas, Alfonso Cruz Vlaeria and
Emilio Estrada Malleta were all members of his secret police force.[6]
The question of whether Trujillo ordered the secret police or whether
they acted on their own is unconfirmed. Virgilio Pina Chevalier (Don
Cucho), Trujillo's family member and intimate collaborator, wrote in his
2008 book, La era de Trujillo. Narraciones de Don Cucho, that
Trujillo refers to the Mirabal assassinations as being far from anything
to do with him. "But we know orders of this nature could not come from
any authority lower than national sovereignty. That was none other than
Trujillo himself; still less could it have taken place without his
assent."[7]

Dedé Mirabal, who did not accompany her sisters on the trip, has
lived to tell the stories of the death of her sisters. As of 2012, Dedé
lives in Salcedo in the house where the sisters were born.

She works to preserve her sisters' memory through the Museo Hermanas Mirabal which is also located in Salcedo and was home to the women for the final ten months of their lives.[8] She published a book, Vivas en su Jardín, on August 25, 2009.[9]

On November 21, 2007, the Salcedo Province was renamed Hermanas Mirabal Province.[10][11][12][13]
The Mirabal sisters are also commemorated by appearing on the 200 Dominican pesos
bill. The Mirabal sisters are seen as heroes for most in Dominican
Republic, because after their death Trujillos empire crumbled.